Native Melittology (INDIGENOUS BEES) with Krystle Hickman
Honeybees get all the attention, but native bees are the underbugs to root for. Photographer, author, and National Geographic Explorer Krystle Hickman shows us the wonders of indigenous bees through her lens focused on conservation of bees and their habitats. She covers their lifecycles, tunnels, turrets, fuzzy butts, frat house cuddling, and sexual dimorphism. We also chat about taxonomic fisticuffs, bee hotels, the mustard blight, monocultures, the teeniest livestock, and how to appreciate and photograph all of the marvels you’ve been overlooking. So grab a sunhat, order her deck of native bee flashcards, fill up your water bottle, and let's stare into the bushes to meet some tiny new friends.
Listen via Stitcher, Apple, Spotify, Google, Podbay, Podcast Addict, Overcast, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Buy Krystle Hickman’s gorgeous native bee flashcards, Native Bees of the Western United States, Volume 1
Follow Krystle Hickman on Instagram and Twitter
A donation went to No Canyon Hills
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Links to things we discussed:
Time lapse of the making of it
Central Coast Curious: How did mustard 'invade' our coast?
Junipero Serra Statue Beheaded At Old Mission
Into the West : the story of its people
Male Megachile fidelis (Horn-faced Leafcutter Bees)
Genus Dufourea - Short-faced Bees
Nomia bee, that looks like a small furry hairy silver SUV
Defining the colour pattern phenotype in bumble bees (Bombus): a new model for evo devo
Scientists uncover the genetic pathway that colors bumble bee stripes
Perdita minima—"World’s Smallest Bee"
Miner bees aka Chimney bees (not West coast), Anthophora abrupta
Texas A&M slandering carpenter bees
How To Clean Your Bee House with Reeds
Now Is A Good Time To Clean Your Mason Bee Cocoons
Everything You Need to Know About Mason Bees
Common Bee Groups Of California
Other episodes you may enjoy:
Kinetic Salticidology (DANCING SPIDERS)
Aperiology (MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY)
FIELD TRIP: How to Change Your Life via the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles
P-22: The Life & Death of an L.A. Cougar
Chickenology (HENS & ROOSTERS)
Acaropathology (TICKS & LYME DISEASE)
Diplopodology (MILLIPEDES & CENTIPEDES)
Forest Entomology (CREEPY CRAWLIES)
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Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions, Jarrett Sleeper of MindJam Media and Mark David Christenson
Transcripts by Emily White of The Wordary
Website by Kelly R. Dwyer
Theme song by Nick Thorburn